LED Matrix Headlights

[Jayyvr890]

Matrix don't swivel.

Standard LED with PDLS+ do and you will notice straight away when you turn them on as they swivel as part of the activation.

I have PDLS+ with matrix specced.

 

[Jayyvr890]

Forgive the bug splats, but here are mine.

It's easy to tell if you have matrix as it says on the black plastic that you have 'led matrix' lol same on my car and also no cornering function.

 

[whitex]

A general idea how the matrix headlights are supposed to operate. Note how light beam conforms to the car's lane. It is supposed to even follow curves, and highlight dangers such as pedestrians or other object about to come in your path.

A marketing video explaining Mercedes adaptive headlights from the S class. Later in the video they actually show what it looks like in real life (the explanation uses computer generated graphics).


None of the above is legal in the USA. Way too fancy and confusing for the dinosaurs in our government.

 

[nickmdp]

Can you post a video of your cornering lighta if possible? I have PDLS+ with matrix but have never seen the lights turn in corners. Thanks!

I think the Matrix lights don't really act as "cornering lights" so much, but I've found an easy way to tell if you've got them. The passenger side beam should be slightly higher than on the driver side, with the higher beam ending at right about the lane marking on the driver side on a straight road. If you slightly weave the car back and forth in the lane, you'll likely notice the higher beam also moving left and right, but with a few squares of light dimming and brightening to make that beam wider rather than the actual beam swiveling left and right.

 

[Jayyvr890]

I think the Matrix lights don't really act as "cornering lights" so much, but I've found an easy way to tell if you've got them. The passenger side beam should be slightly higher than on the driver side, with the higher beam ending at right about the lane marking on the driver side on a straight road. If you slightly weave the car back and forth in the lane, you'll likely notice the higher beam also moving left and right, but with a few squares of light dimming and brightening to make that beam wider rather than the actual beam swiveling left and right.

Thanks! Maybe Matrix PDLS+ uses the matrix LED to make corner lights rather than turning the bulb itself. Would make sense! But I'm surprised you have the active in the US? Aren't all Matrix LEDS deactivated in the US?

 

[nickmdp]

Thanks! Maybe Matrix PDLS+ uses the matrix LED to make corner lights rather than turning the bulb itself. Would make sense! But I'm surprised you have the active in the US? Aren't all Matrix LEDS deactivated in the US?

Some of the features, namely the dynamic high beam to avoid glaring oncoming traffic, are not activated in the US, but cornering lights have been legal for quite some time.

In short, US regulations are complicated and created at a time where many couldn't even imagine a car that has so much tech in it.

 

[TDinDC]

For what it's worth, the manual says that the only difference between PDLS and PDLS + is that the headlights of the PDLS + are brighter.

 

[nickmdp]

For what it's worth, the manual says that the only difference between PDLS and PDLS + is that the headlights of the PDLS + are brighter.

To be clear though, there's the standard headlights (which don't seem to be called PDLS in the online config tool), then PDLS+, then Matrix with PDLS+. What's weird is that they have this comment in the tool when seeing the details for the Matrix headlights, but I can 100% see individual LEDs turning on/off as I'm driving:

Maybe they just mean that they mimic a swiveling light source by turning LEDs on/off, but that they're still simulating a more 'basic' light source.

 

[TDinDC]

To be clear though, there's the standard headlights (which don't seem to be called PDLS in the online config tool), then PDLS+, then Matrix with PDLS+. What's weird is that they have this comment in the tool when seeing the details for the Matrix headlights, but I can 100% see individual LEDs turning on/off as I'm driving:

Maybe they just mean that they mimic a swiveling light source by turning LEDs on/off, but that they're still simulating a more 'basic' light source.

Apologies. I read the manual today, and it discusses both a PDLS + LED and a PDLS + Matrix. It does say that the sole difference between the two is that PDLS + Matrix is brighter.

 

[whitex]

Out of curiosity, as my taycan is still in the tracked dream stage, do the matrix lights do any tricks like in audi, displaying logos or animations with the headlights?

 

[f1eng]

My wife's ID3 has them and they are absolutely incredible, I wouldn't buy a car without them now I've seen them in action. I do fret that I've paid a lot of cash to option the exact same system that came standard on the VW though.

If I was in the US though I don't think I'd bother for now.

Our Prius has them and they are excellent but my Taycan order had them removed due to component shortage when it froze.
I also am grumpy about having inferior headlights to what were standard 4 years ago on a Prius

OTOH when we got the Prius the other car on the shortlist was a Panamera Sport Turismo plug in hybrid and it needed an extra £10k spending on extras to match the Prius standard spec

It was mainly the size and weight which caused us not to buy the Panamera but irritation over options played a role.

In fact despite considering many Porsches over the last 25 years the Taycan is the first where I overall liked one enough to actually order it.

 

[Dee]

If you have the opportunity take it.
It's just amazing to see the system working.
It's pretty clever too.
Absolutely fabulous.

 

[Dee]

OTOH when we got the Prius the other car on the shortlist was a Panamera Sport Turismo plug in hybrid and it needed an extra £10k spending on extras to match the Prius standard spec

I've seen cars much older than the Taycan with better software and wireless Android Auto.
But none of them are Porsches.

 

[jakeCT]

Quick update, for what it's worth. I spoke with a PCNA rep today giving a presentation on a Taycan. He told us that the first Porsche to have matrix headlights enabled in the USA will be the MY24 Cayenne (or Macan I don't remember for sure, apparently new headlight design - perhaps NHTSA regulations require something not present in current hardware?). He also mentioned that earlier cars may not be able to be retrofitted due to regulations which require a car manufactured in a particular year to follow safety regulations from that year.

The same rep told us that charging a Taycan from L1 chargers (120V) will will completely drain the 12V battery because it takes many, many hours during which the 12V battery is drained but never replenished, and that Taycan brake lights only go on if the Taycan is decelerating at a faster rate then 3.8m/s/s regardless of speed. The first one was true long time ago, the second one was never true, hence my qualifier "for what it's worth" - the rep's info may be out of date or plane wrong.

I was in Bellevue then too! Looking at my photo of that slide, the 3.8 m/s/s seems to be the right number when at 100kph. I think you got the guy in a Brian Williams moment.

 

[whitex]

I was in Bellevue then too! Looking at my photo of that slide, the 3.8 m/s/s seems to be the right number when at 100kph. I think you got the guy in a Brian Williams moment.

Cool. We might have even talked to each other.

I saw the 100km note, but the guy insisted 3.8m/s/s was for all speeds. Worse however was his insistence that rear brake lights only go on above 3.8m/s/s. This would definitely cause some rear end accidents for the Taycans as it would mean you can go from 100km/h to a full stop in just over 7 seconds without your brake lights coming on.

After that answer I stopped asking more questions as I realized the guy is just “coloring-in” the slides he’s been given with made up information. I got a whole lot more useful information from one of the techs when we went back to the shop to look at the Taycan on the lift.